Keynote Speaker: Loren Swancutt

Bio

Loren is Head of Special Education Services at a state high school in Queensland. Her role involves the leadership and management of inclusive education experiences for all students and the facilitation of inclusive interactions with families and the broader community. Loren has a Bachelor of Education (Primary and Special Education) and a Masters in Inclusive Education and is the appointed National Convenor of the school inclusion network for educators which operates under All Means All – the Australian Alliance for Inclusive Education.

Presentations

Day 2 9:20 – 10:10

Bringing Down the Fence

Inclusive schooling requires a commitment to transforming traditional practices and mindsets, skilled and highly responsive pedagogical approaches, and strong leadership that is underpinned by solid professional knowledge and understanding. The demands of which can be overwhelming; with schools often experiencing a disconnect between accessing and interpreting strong theoretical frameworks and references, and transforming them into successful reform and practice.

‘Bringing Down the Fence’ is a presentation that explores and unpacks school-level design, implementation and leadership processes that support the realisation of inclusive schooling. The Insightful steps and strategies are backed by the real-life applications and experiences of Thuringowa State High School – a Queensland State High School that disbanded its segregated Special Education Program in 2015, and has been successfully educating all students in age-appropriate, heterogeneous classrooms ever since.

Day 2 12:15 – 1:05

Planning for Personalised Learning

The purpose, development, and importance of Individual Learning Plans differs across educational systems and sectors right around the nation. Regardless of their origin; the value and validity of their existence is highly dependent on who contributes, how they are situated, and what they aim to achieve.
‘Planning for Personalised Learning’ challenges thought processes around individual planning. It opens up the discourse of accountability versus outcome, and explores concepts that push equity instead of compliance. Traditional methods of individual planning are transformed to include principles of inclusive pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning.